1993 Taurus SHO from hell! M105, M80, DG105

[matt@autogeek.net]

Did this car for a local forum member, and WOW it was terrible. I really didn't think I would be able to do much with it, but it came out really nice.

This was my first time using Meguiars 105 - it has a bit of a learning curve to it, but once I got that down, I almost felt like I was cheating. It broke down almost instantly, removed most defects in 1 quick pass, and finished up super nice, especially for such a strong compound. What also surprised me was how effective this compound was with the Flex, as it is designed for rotary + wool only.

Process was as follows:

-Wash with P21S
-Clay with Wolfgang Elastic Poly Clay (went straight in the garbage afterwards!)
-Poorboy's Spray & Rinse on wheels and tires
-Poorboy's Bold 'N Bright on tires

-Meguiar's M105 Compound - Flex XC3401 w/yellow 6.5" LC cutting pads
-Meguiar's M80 Speed Glaze - Flex XC3401 w/green 6.5" LC polishing/finishing pads
-Duragloss 105 Total Performance Polish - Flex XC3401 w/blue 6.5" LC finishing pad

The car is a 1993, and the driver's side was repainted at one point. Initially, the driver's side looked better since it was newer and less oxidized/swirled, but after the job was done, the 16 year old paint on the passenger side looked better IMO.

After using M105, I switched to a green pad on used M80 Speed Glaze. 1 pass of each was used, but I did 2 passes on the roof since it was pretty bad.

Overall, I got 95% of the swirls out (a few remained on the roof), but I was very satisfied in how the car came out, as was the owner.

Here is what the car looked like when I received it:




















This was a test pass on the driver's side door:






I then rested my halogens on the cowl/windshield, and got to work on the hood.


BEFORE:






50/50:




After:

[matt@autogeek.net]

This is what my pad looked like after just the hood, and half the fender.




Fender BEFORE:



AFTER:



50/50:




The taillights weren't too bad, but I gave 105 and 80 a shot and there was a noticeable improvement.

Before/after:






After working my way around the car, I got to the rear and decided to remove the spoiler. I figured there would be some form of nastiness growing under there, and I was right.






Trunk polishing 50/50:











More before/after, on the passenger side door:







A few "after" shots - I washed the car after compounding since it was SO dusty, there was really no way around it. Here are a few pics after I dried it off - NO LSP.

[matt@autogeek.net]

I then pulled the car back in, applied Duragloss 105, went over all the little cracks and crevices (that M105 dries like a rock - very effective product but a pain to remove, especially in removing excess residue from cracks etc)

Here is what the car looked like when it was all said and done (well, almost - the spoiler wasn't put back on yet. This was also polished and sealed on a special "bed" I made for it.















(this pic was slightly out of focus):








The end.

[dannythekid]

It seems like every Gen2 SHO I see has a finish like the befores. Great work on it!

[richy]

Matt..nice job there, man!! I just took delivery of some M105 and am anxious to give 'er a go. I really like how it looks in this shot:

[matt@autogeek.net]

Thanks! It finished up very well - especially considering that was after 1 pass on 16 year old paint!

[gohandbz8]

The turnaround was amazing. How long did this whole job take you?

[SweetJazz]

Originally Posted by matt@autogeek.net

Thanks! It finished up very well - especially considering that was after 1 pass on 16 year old paint!

Outstanding Turnaround!!!

Can you briefly describe the M105 "learning curve"?

[Totoland Mach]

GREAT turnaround Matt! It's really 'fun' to bring a car's level of appearance back to near new....most owners don't expect that and I really like to see their reaction.

Super. And, you're right about the learning curve of 105.

Toto

[BigAl3]

awesome work! just goes to show you that the Flex in the right hands can remove some serious imperfections/defects...